Sacrifice. Praise.

Sacrifice. Praise. Two words that seem mutually exclusive. Two words that don’t belong together. Praise is like the woohoo of your day, an overflow of happy. It’s exuberant, joyful. Sacrifice – well that is something that comes at a cost. It’s pain, grief, hurt. Surely sacrifice and praise don’t belong together? Yet we find in Hebrews just that. Praise and Sacrifice interwoven together

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.” (Hebews 13:15)

The sacrifice of praise says that even during the difficult times I will choose to believe in the goodness of God. It says that during the hard seasons I will still exalt His name. As we turn our despair, our pain into praise of the One who sacrificed it all for us it becomes the most beautiful sacrifice.

Our praise is to be continual. It means our praise is a lifestyle that exists regardless of our feelings or our circumstances or how our day is shaping out. Our praise becomes a powerful declaration of magnifying God over our lives. It is not about being thankful for all things, but in all things being able to be thankful. It means that our praise of God is not shaken by our circumstances.

There are two keys to sustaining this level of praise. “For here we do not have a permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” It is keep the perspective of Heaven while on earth. The second is that we are able to do this through Jesus.

“You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:28-29)